Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 24, 2025
10:23
A Concoction Pipeline for Generating Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) Among Riparian and Aquatic Beetles
Published on: July 11, 2025
441
Towards a catalogue of biodiversity databases: An ontological case study
Jarrett Blair1, Rodger Gwiazdowski2, Andrew Borrelli1
1University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada University of Guelph Guelph Canada.
Biodiversity Data Journal
|April 10, 2020
Summary
Digital access to species data is crucial for biodiversity informatics. A review of the Biodiversity Information Projects of the World (BIPW) dataset found over 40% of biodiversity databases are inaccessible, risking data loss.
Area of Science:
- Biodiversity informatics
- Data science
- Information science
Background:
- Biodiversity informatics relies on accessible digital species data.
- Current online resources lack categorization, hindering field growth.
- The Biodiversity Information Projects of the World (BIPW) dataset aimed to index biodiversity databases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the accessibility and composition of biodiversity databases listed in the BIPW dataset.
- To identify trends and challenges in the biodiversity information landscape.
- To propose solutions for improved biodiversity data discoverability and preservation.
Main Methods:
- Applied a classification scheme to score ~600 databases from the BIPW dataset.
- Categorized databases based on nine data types.
- Assessed the current accessibility of these online resources.
Main Results:
- Only 315 (~53%) of the investigated databases were accessible.
- A significant portion of biodiversity databases suffer from accessibility issues like link rot.
- The biodiversity information landscape is precarious, with data at risk of being lost.
Conclusions:
- A substantial number of biodiversity databases are inaccessible or at risk of loss.
- There is a critical need for better organization and preservation of biodiversity data.
- A community-driven database with an ontology could enhance discovery and support vulnerable databases.
Related Concept Videos
02:40The Tree of Life - Bacteria, Archaea, Eukaryotes
37.3K
The “tree of life” describes the evolution of life and the evolutionary relationships between organisms. The root of the tree is the common ancestor to all life on Earth. All other species radiate from this point, much like the branches of a tree. The numerous tips of these branches on the tree of life represent every living, or extant, species. Extinct species, which are species that no longer exist, can be found towards the center of the tree. Currently, these organisms, both...
37.3K
01:19What is Biodiversity?
32.2K
Biodiversity describes the variety of living things at multiple organizational levels: genetic, species and ecosystem diversity. Species diversity includes all branches of the evolutionary tree from single-celled prokaryotic organisms, bacteria, and archaea, to the eukaryotic kingdoms: plants; animals; fungi; and protists. To date, there have been about 1.75 million species identified, and new species are discovered every week.
32.2K
01:24Biodiversity and Human Values
16.3K
Human civilization relies on biodiversity in many ways. Sudden changes in species biodiversity result in environmental changes that can modify weather patterns and therefore human civilizations.
16.3K
01:20Applications of Molecular Taxonomy
408
Molecular taxonomy has revolutionized the understanding and classification of bacteria, providing precise insights into their diversity, evolutionary relationships, and ecological roles. By utilizing molecular techniques such as DNA sequencing and fingerprinting, researchers have made significant strides in various fields related to bacterial studies.Resolving Taxonomic AmbiguitiesMolecular taxonomy has been instrumental in distinguishing closely related bacterial species initially thought to...
408
02:26Ecological Disturbance
20.5K
An ecological disturbance is a temporary disruption in the environment resulting from abiotic, biotic, or anthropogenic factors, causing a pronounced change in an ecosystem. The impact of an ecological disturbance, which can depend on its intensity, frequency, and spatial distribution, plays a significant role in shaping the species diversity within the ecosystem.
20.5K
01:24Microbial Classification System
693
Classification is the process of organizing organisms into hierarchically inclusive groups based on their phenotypic similarities or evolutionary relationships. A species comprises one or more strains, and closely related species are grouped into genera. Genera are further classified into families, families into orders, orders into classes, and so forth, up to the domain level, which is the broadest taxonomic rank derived from a combination of phenotypic and genotypic data.The nomenclature of...
693